Media giant Disney doubles its stake in Vice Media. With a further $200 million, the Mickey Mouse Group is increasing its still fresh stake in the young media brand to ten percent, according to unanimous reports in the U.S. media. Just a few weeks ago, Disney had invested $200 million in Vice. The deal makes it clear that Vice is now valued at more than four billion US dollars.

The capital will now be used for further productions of the Vice brand, including the new Viceland cable channel. The first dedicated analog Vice channel is scheduled to replace the current H2 channel, pay TV programming from Hearst Disney provider A&E Networks, starting in late February. According to the NewYork Times newspaper, which cites a person familiar with the plans, lifestyle and entertainment formats in particular will be shown there - as well as TV shows.

At Viceland, the course is already set for expansion: In an interview with the"FAZ," founder Shane Smith revealed at the end of November that TV personnel have already been hired for Viceland in many countries - for example, 200 people in Canada and 400 in the United States. A Viceland team is also being assembled in Greece and the Balkans. And: "We are currently hiring in Germany, Great Britain, France, Mexico and Brazil," Smith told the "FAZ". According to this information, Viceland is to be launched in Germany "within the next twelve to 14 months" - also with German content.

Here is the official trailer for the new channel from Vice.

A&E Networks is like other media companies around the world: They hope to attract more of the young male target group through the Cuddle up with the Vice brand coveted by teens and twens. A&E itself has already invested 250 million euros in Vice in 2014, while Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox invested 70 million dollars. Even the world's largest advertising holding company, WPP, under Sir Martin Sorell, has been a minority owner in Vice Media since 2011; it got in at the same time as MTV co-founder Tom Freston. The capital at that time was used by Vice to expand into other countries.

Source: https://www.wuv.de/medien/disney_stockt_bei_vice_auf